USD Going to the NCAA Tournament

San Diego 65, Gonzaga 49-------------------------

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - The 23rd-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs were denied their fifth straight West Coast Conference tournament crown by the University of San Diego on Monday night at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

The Bulldogs (25-7) had won eight of the past nine WCC tournaments, with their only loss during that span coming against San Diego in 2003. History repeated itself thanks to De'Jon Jackson and Rob Jones. Jackson scored 16 points and Jones added 15 for the Toreros (21-13), who had lost all 13 meetings with Gonzaga since winning that 2003 tournament crown.

It was a special win for San Diego coach Bill Grier, who got used to winning WCC titles while spending the past 16 years as an assistant coach at Gonzaga. "I've been trying to convince these guys that they can step up and beat Gonzaga if they play the right way," Grier said. "This wasn't about going to the tournament. It was about taking the next step and beating their program." WCC Player of the Year Jeremy Pargo scored 22 points for the Bulldogs but was the only Gonzaga player in double figures.